Bella grows a backbone
by Kiwi Marie Lawhon
Summary: Edward refuses to let Bella see Jacob, but instead of opening the window she keeps it closed, and learns to hold her own agianst Edward in a way that changes her future forever...takes place during Eclipse...good story, I promise...please review.
1. The Closed Window

Text guide/Underline=Author note / _Italics _=thoughts of characters / _Italics and underline _=Short quote from the book / **Bold**=Just because I feel like it..

_I stared at the shivering black glass for a long moment until it was still._ No matter how much this was going to hurt me, I needed to get the point across to Edward that Jacob was my friend, and he couldn't tell me otherwise.

The only thing that made me think twice about this was the pain it would cause Edward, and the only thing that gave me the strength to go through with it anyway was the knowledge that this wouldn't last forever-he would relent or I would quit.

I walked over to my bed and curled up under my quilt, searching for the familiar numbness I would need after tonight.

A/N-Very short, but only meant to emphasize the change. The next chapters will be alot longer, promise.


	2. Silence and Negotiation

The next morning I got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and was out the door on time. I was greeted by the sight of Edward and his Volvo in Charlie's parking spot, since he had already left for the station. I focused my gaze on only my Chevy, refusing to glance over at Edward for fear that it would make my resolve crumble to dust if I did so. Once I got in and closed the door Edward drove away and, to my relief, my truck started the same way it usually did without a hitch, though the noise startled me.

I noticed that Edward had replaced my stereo, too, with an exact duplicate of what had once been in it. I threw my jacket over the dashboard so as to hide the stereo, covering it to stay focused. Before I knew it I was at school and parking across the lot form Edward.

Seeing Alice walking alongside Angela and Ben reminded me of the argument I'd had with Charlie last night. Hm. Maybe I would have to take one of them with me after all so I wouldn't have to be with Edward all that time. I shivered and quickly dismissed the thought. I was stubborn, but I wasn't strong enough to be **that** stubborn.

I went to all my classes in a bit of a daze, unable to remember what had happened in any of them due to the numbness, which was currently taking the place of the painful sting caused by my silent treatment towards Edward. I was very grateful to have been able to remember it after all this time. Edward sat next to me in all the classes we shared, and at lunch, since I made no attempt at asking him to sit somewhere else. After school he drove with Alice to his house and I drove to mine. I finished my home work at four-thirty and started dinner for Charlie early. By the time he got home at six his fish fillet, steamed broccoli and wild rice was cold.

I put his plate I'd prepared in the microwave for one minute and he asked me how my day at school was.

"Fine. Nothing new of interest to report."

"Is **Edward** coming over later?" He asked grudgingly.

"No, I don' think he's coming tonight," I replied in an emotionless tone.

"Bella, did he-"

"No, he didn't. Don't worry, dad. He's just not coming over tonight."

"Oh. Ok," He replied cheerily. I went upstairs while he ate his dinner, and I heard the T.V. Turn on after a few minutes. I started reading "Wuthering Heights" again, though I already had it virtually memorized and I was merely glancing at the pages to keep my mind from wandering to Edward. Though I wasn't really paying attention, there was something vaguely familiar about the story. Almost as if I'd been there and was reading a summary of what I'd seen.

I'd been reading for about three and a half hours when it happened too fast for my eyes to really see it all. Edward opened my widow, came in, closed it, pulled the book out of my hands to toss it on my desk and joined my on my bed where he took my face in both of his hands.

The pained look painted across his face quickly destroyed my will. "Edw-," I began.

"Shh."

He stared at my face for a long moment. It was enough to make my heart throb painfully in my chest.

"Edw-"

"Bella, I'm not going to let this drive a wedge between us. We can work something out, but please don't do this to me anymore," He said in a strained whisper.

I reached up to hold his face in my hands as he had mine and kissed him eagerly. Relief saturated his response but, as always, he pulled away too soon.

"So how are we going to work this out?" I asked him curiously, keeping one hand on his face.

"There are some precautions I'd like you to take first."

"Such as..?"

"Jacob coming to **our** side of the line to see you, while I'm with you."

"Uhm," I said uncertainly,"I don't think Sam would let him do that. Or that he would be comfortable with it."

"How about with me in hearing distance?"

This was ridiculous. "How about me going to see him with a cell phone after you drop me off so I can call you to pick me up?" I asked.

"..For predetermined amounts of time."

"That sounds...pretty reasonable," I said gratefully. "Thank you."

"Thank **you** for agreeing so easily. It was unbearable not to hear your voice today."

"For me, too."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I." With that I curled under my blankets and he snuggled me to his chest, humming my lullaby contentedly. I was peacefully sleeping in minutes.


	3. Florida with Jacob

The golden sun beat down hard on my pale skin, and the humid air smothered my body. So far, my time in Florida with Renee had been pretty good. It had been _very_ surprising at first. But very good. Renee had been a bit shocked by Jacobs imposing height, but she soon fell in love with him, mainly due to the impish charm he always seemed to exude. I was surprised Sam gave Jacob some time off from pack duty, but just plain shocked when Edward suggested I take Jacob to with me to Florida. There was some thing about the way he said it, the way his eyes had looked, that made me wonder what the real purpose for his suggestion was. It was the tiniest tightening of his smile, which I would have never detected if I hadn't already been so familiar with his face, that gave him away. Not to mention the fact that even though we'd reached a, rather _recent_ agreement about Jacob, I knew he still wasn't comfortable with his being around me.

I was walking along the beach hand in hand with Jacob while Renee was visiting with Phil before he went with the high school baseball team he was coaching to an out-of-town game, since they'd made it to playoffs. She hated to give attention to any one else while I was visiting, but Phil was going to be gone for a while, and I was enjoying a bit of time alone with Jacob.

"How have you been Jacob? Really. Charlie said you were having a hard time-isn't it getting any better?"

"'S not so bad,"he said, refusing to meet my eyes. He'd already caught me up on all the latest pack news. How Quil had finally joined the pack, and had an _unusual_ imprint, how Jared had also imprinted, how Sam was unhappy about the way I'd accepted all the vampires back into my life, and the reason behind it. The story of his relationship with Leah, his imprint with Emily, then the accident that scarred her face, and brought them together.

"You know how you say it's easy to read my face, Jacob? How I can't hide anything from you? It works two ways."

"You don't want to hear it, Bella. You don't like it when I talk about _us,_" he replied sullenly, and I understood what he was talking about.

"Jacob, there is no _us_," I replied.

"Bella, you can keep telling yourself that but that wont make it true. Look Bells, your bloodsucker left you once, and he's going to have to deal with the consequence of that-_me_. If you would have let yourself let go of him you could have been happy with me."

"Jacob, you don't understand,"I replied, letting go of his hand," I love Edward. I always have, and I always will, and I'll never love anybody but him. And I do love you , Jacob. When you're happy, it makes me happy, and I miss you when you're gone, but that's the same way I feel about any one else in my family. I love you, but I'm not _in _love with you.""

That's not true and you know it," he replied.

I just sighed and let the conversation go. I took his hand and decided I wanted to enjoy my time with Jacob without arguing.

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"It's so good to see you, baby,"Renee told me. We were sitting in comfortable hammock-chairs on the back deck of her house, watching the sun creep farther away from the center of the sky.

"I missed you too, mom. I wish I could stay longer,"I replied,feeling suddenly melancholy. We had to leave for the airport in a little over an hour.

"You could, Bella. It'll be a shame to see Jacob go, though...,"She trailed off. "I can see why you two became such good friends. But he's so _tall.."_

"I know what you mean,"I said, wincing involuntarily from the memory of all months with Jacob, but with out Edward.

"Ok, that's it. What's wrong, Bella? "Renee asked worriedly."You've seemed...happy, but miserable at the same time. It's like, you're not entirely...here or something. Like you left part of yourself behind in Forks,"She finished uncomfortably.

A wave of pain washed over me after she said this, making me flinch. She was dead on. I did leave a part of me in Forks-without Edward, I was incomplete, a hollow shell of what I was supposed to be. This time with Jacob was good, but it was tainted by his absence.

"It's that boy, isn't it?" She asked, relaxing as she did so. "You,you really like him, don't you?"

"_Mom_.."I trailed off lamely.

"Ok, Ok, say no more,"She answered."But I expect to hear a little bit about him. Ooh, is he cute? Is he funny? What's his family like? What's he _kiss_ like?"She fired off excitedly.

"Umm, how about _later, _mom?"I said, blushing furiously.

"Alriiight,"She replied. We watched the sun,and an hour after Jacob joined us, we left for the airport.

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"Bella, honey,...Bells, we're here, we're in Seattle. Time to wake up.....Edward's here, Bella."

That got my attention.

My eyes shot open and I took in my surroundings. I was sitting in a chair near the airport cafe, looking at Jacobs slightly sour expression. I began to remember waking up on the plane halfway to Seattle, and talking to Jacob until my fidgeting got to be too much, and I fell asleep again sometime afterwards. I was just so anxious to see Edward...Jacob must've carried me and my bags and myself off of the plane...

"Bella, love," I heard Edward whisper next to me. I turned my head and saw his perfect face-the line of his jaw, the liquid gold of his eyes, the beautiful bronze shade of his hair...

"I missed you," I said, my voice was saturated relief and excitement.

"I missed you too, love," He replied. He kissed me then, and this kiss was less restrained than most, and I was just fine with that. My breath came quick and wild, my heart raced so fast it threatened to jump out of my chest. I crushed my body to his, and he held me there. A few minutes later, he pulled away, too soon as always. "Maybe we should get out of the airport and into the car now," He stated huskily,"Alice is waiting for us, and there is something you should know." The way he said it, cautiously, but fervent, made me nervous.

"What is it, Edward?" I replied anxiously.

"I'll tell you as soon as we get to your house,Bella, now come with me. Alice missed you, too." He picked up my bags, and we followed twisting hallways and security checkpoints until we found the parking lot exit. When we came out to the front, I noticed how cold it was, and how late it must've been-Huge lamps illuminated all the parked cars. Alice drove up with the Volvo, and while Edward put my things away in the trunk, Alice jumped out of the car, squealed her hello and flitted over to me for a hug.

"I missed you, too, Alice," I cried happily."What did I miss while I was in Jacksonville?"

"Oh, not much...nothing of interest to report..."She replied cryptically, her face smoothing over.

"What is it, guys? Edward, what's wrong?"I asked, now panicked.

"It's nothing, Bella. Don't worry. I'll tell you when we get to your house, love,"He replied soothingly. I got in the car and instantly realized how tired I was. My eyelids were soon too heavy for me to keep them open, and I slept until we got to Forks. Edward carried me in to the house, and after leaving me upstairs for Charlie to see, he came in my window and hummed my lullaby until I fell asleep.

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I woke up in Edwards arms the next morning, remembering that he'd needed to say something to me..something Alice avoided..something he'd waited to tell me until I was home..

"Bella, love? Are you awake yet?" He asked me quietly.

"Yup, I'm awake now,"I replied, twisting around so I could see him better." Hey Edward, what was it you needed to say to me last night?"I asked, curiosity mingled with trepidation.

His expression shifted, from tender to wary, before he answered."Yes. I don't want you to worry about it any more. Victoria is dead."

And then I fainted.


End file.
